Fire on Ryanair Plane Before Takeoff in Palma Leaves 18 Slightly Injured

There was a fire alert on a Ryanair plane on the ground at Palma airport, awaiting final clearance to take off for Manchester, England, which resulted in 18 minor injuries. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on Friday into Saturday, as the French air traffic controllers' strike on Friday forced the cancellation of some flights from Mallorca and delayed others by several hours.

Shortly after half past midnight, the SAMU 061 coordination centre received a fire alert on a grounded plane of the aforementioned low-cost airline at Son Sant Joan airport. According to initial reports, no flames were produced, a fact later confirmed by sources from the airport operator Aena. However, the aircraft's fire alarm was activated, leading to the decision to evacuate passengers, initially via the main staircase.

It was precisely at this moment that tension arose, as some passengers on board panicked and attempted to exit en masse, reports Europa Press. In fact, among the injured were several who decided not to wait and jumped directly onto the runway from the plane's wings, resulting in some bruises and minor physical injuries.

The SAMU 061 coordination centre mobilised four ambulances to the scene, two Advanced Life Support (ALS) and two Basic Life Support (BLS). Firefighters from Palma airport and Civil Guard officers also attended.

The final personal toll of the incident was a total of 18 people slightly injured, six of whom needed to be taken to hospitals in the Balearic capital. Specifically, three were taken to the Rotger Clinic and another three to the Quirónsalud Palmaplanas Hospital. A large portion of the plane's passengers were British tourists returning to their home country.